Society - History of the Horror Genre

Transcription

1 Society - History of the Horror Genre The horror genre is almost as old as cinema itself. Early silent movies like The Golem (1915) and Nosferatu (1922) took their inspiration from classic gothic literature, folk tales and legends. The 1947 Roswell incident, where an alien craft supposedly crashed in New Mexico, sparked the public s interest in aliens and by the 1950s technology had advanced sufficiently to allow more realistic, plausible representations of alien invaders to an eager teenage audience. Many of these films were B-Movies; a low budget film, usually of poor quality, with a short running time often created to play as part of a double bill with a longer bigger budget main feature. By the 1960s the drive-in teen audiences of the 1950s were growing up, and becoming wise to the empty promises of lurid titles and titillating posters, immune to the scare factor of rubber suits and miniaturized sets. They wanted horror that was more rooted in reality, more believable, more sophisticated, that dealt with some of the issues they faced in a rapidly changing world. Ownership - Alfred Hitchcock By the end of the 1950 s Alfred Hitchcock had already released a number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959); all generally considered to be part of the Thriller genre. Psycho (1960) was Hitchcock s first foray into the Horror genre and coincided well with the desire of the audience for realism. The screenwriter, Joseph Stefano, was adamant about seeing a toilet on-screen to display realism. He also wanted to see it flush. Alfred Hitchcock told him he had to "make it so" through his writing if he wanted to see it. One of the reasons Alfred Hitchcock shot Psycho in black and white was he thought it would be too gory in colour. But the main reason was that he wanted to make the film as inexpensively as possible (under $1 million). He also wondered if so many bad, inexpensively made, b/w "B" movies did so well at the box office, what would happen if a really good, inexpensively made, b/w movie was made. Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel, based in part on real life serial killer Ed Gein, but also bought as many copies of the novel as possible in order to keep the ending a secret. He also had an unprecedented no exceptions policy that no-one could gain access to the cinema once the film had started and pleaded that the audience should keep the ending to themselves. - A wealth of Psycho/Hitchcock trivia

2 Psycho Notes To be referred to in conjunction with your own expanded notes Categories Medium/Genre Cinema is a unique medium. Going to the cinema is for most people a social event. It therefore requires a persuasive reason for the public to venture from their homes to the cinema this is fulfilled by trailers/posters and word of mouth. In the 1960 s many cinemas were termed Movie Palaces and many were owned by movie production companies. This led to competition to build the most luxurious movie theatre many were extremely ornate buildings with high ceilings and a palace-like gold and red colour scheme. Movie theatres were also one of the first industries to install air conditioning which gave them an additional lure of comfort especially during the summer months. Up until 1957 cinemas were home to a single screen and could only screen one movie at a time (this began to change from 1960 onwards). Cinema also has a very recognisable ritual-like element to it- the buying of food and drink prior to the film, the dimmed lights in the auditorium to focus the audiences attention on the film and the very clear signals that the film is about to begin/end. With Psycho, newspaper advertisements cleverly piqued audience curiosity with such statements as: "You MUST see "Psycho" from the very beginning. No one - not even the President of the United States, not the theatre manager's brother, not even the Queen of England (God bless her) - will be allowed into the theatre after the beginning of each showing of "Psycho". This is to allow you to enjoy "Psycho" more. By the way, after you see the film, please do not give away the ending. It's the only one we have". This utilised the unique nature of seeing a film at a movie theatre to not only create interest in the film but also to preserve the unique state that movie theatres seek to create one of focused attention, where the audience is highly suggestible, can be disrupted by noisy audience members and people arriving late. The medium (Cinema) and the Horror genre are ideal bedfellows. The Horror genre is able to exploit the focused attention of the audience that is unique to cinema. There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. Alfred Hitchcock With the audience in the darkness, hearing and seeing only what the director intended, it is an ideal situation for the audience to be manipulated into feeling suspense, fear, terror and shock.

3 Conventions of the Horror Genre The Horror genre by the 1960 s had taken in classical monsters such as Frankenstein and Dracula, and extra terrestrial threats like alien invaders. The audience were eager for realism and Psycho is part of the Psychological Horror subgenre or Horror-of-Personality sub genre. Genre Psychological Horror Genre Conventions - Importance of music, creates suspense tension - Females Damsel in distress, scream, blonde=innocent, angelic, pure, goodlooking (tobelookedatness) motif female searching the house vulnerable shower scene, naked=vulnerable - Setting Shown in silhouette, isolated, inside kept hidden, hotel rooms they are scary because people have been there before, relying on trustworthiness of staff, fear of the unknown, they are set up the same, quiet and deserted, the importance of night - Violence/Knife up close and personal, slashes, messy, the weapon is in every home - Mystery - American understanding of psychology the role of the mother - Sometimes the eventual killer is someone unexpected - Often deal with mental illness - Monster is usually a human, usually a male - Contains the horror genre marker of isolated and eerie locations - Sharp objects easily accessed but for audience members we can all imagine this pain common fear - Needles - Fear of the dark - Death - Intruders - Bad Weather - Feeling vulnerable - Hidden Faces - Insanity - Authority Purpose - Entertain through suspense, fear and the desire to find out the conclusion of the movie - Make a Profit Low budget he used lesser known actors and a television crew rather than a film crew

4 Tone Form Tone - One scene has a very mundane and, almost, boring tone where Norman is cleaning up after the killing of Marion it is deliberately slow paced, no dialogue, in order emphasise how ordinary this task is to Norman and to shock us that something so horrible and tragic is dealt with in such a workmanlike way - The tone of the rest of the film is very realistic and tried to present the shocking events as believable - There is one tiny bit of humour in the film - B+W, conscious choice by Hitchcock - Feature film (The Main Feature) - Hitchcock specifically chose a small budget and used a Television crew - Shot on Set - Realism first ever onscreen toilet flush - Cleaning up after the murder, right down to the disposal of the car/body Language The film begins with wide shot, pans across the skyline we see in titled white writing phoenix, Arizona this is to create the illusion of realism. The shot cuts eventually to a crane shot which gradually zooms in a single window on one building. Eventually we cut to a mid shot of a slightly open window and the camera appears to move under the blinds and into the room this takes the audience into the space where the characters are and is very voyeuristic. The title before we enter the room reads 2.43pm but when the camera shows us inside the room we see Marion in a state of undress, as is her male companion. PCATA white underwear, blond hair, implies innocence which is slightly at odds with the situation. Very functional looking bed, bare and grey walls Hotels of this sort aren t interested in you when you come in anchorage seedy by the hour hotel room, not a nice place. Dialogue helps us to feel sympathy towards Marion Last time Hate meeting you in a place like this When you re married you can do lots of things. Sam s situation he talks about debt, about his ex-wife furthers our sympathy for Marion. Stereotypical character constructed in the scene in the office. Cowboy Hat, Leather tie (Bolo Tie) Wealthy Ranch Owner / Oil Tycoon PCATA he is likely to be loud and overbearing, flirty and likes a drink. He talks about his 18 year old daughter, never had an unhappy day Ideology that is presented here money=happiness, it s a man s job to look after a woman. During the conversation between this man and Marion we switch between low-angle and high-angle shots to establish the power relationship between the two. The fact he is openly flirting with her establishes her desirability.

5 Psycho and the Hays Code Sex outside of marriage must be shown in an unglamorous and unappealing light to an extent Hitchcock follows this guideline the situation with Marion is seedy and unappealing. Criminal actions must be punished Marion s unfortunate end shows Hitchcock following this guideline. In a later scene Marion is shown in black underwear and her handbag is now black this is significant as it occurs after she steals the $40,000. Her portrayal has altered to show her as more morally questionable she has lost her innocence due to her criminal act this could be a way of Hitchcock respecting the Hays code upholding law and order. PCATA black=evil or bad. Shower scene plays on the fear of being vulnerable while naked or while doing private things Hitchcock is pushing boundaries as nudity would be a no no under the Hays Code. In the shower scene in one particular mid-shot we see the killer they are shown in silhouette and we can only see the outline of their grey hair, everything else including their facial features is in darkness fear of the dark, the unknown, mask of darkness, intruders. There is the suggestion of nudity but nothing explicit is ever clearly shown including the violence itself clever editing allows this scene to pass the code. The power and effectiveness of the scene comes from the sharp screeching music, the scream of the actress and the SFX of the knife hitting flesh. Representation of Norman Bates - Kind of average looking, tall, slim, dark hair ideology PCATA hegemony/dominant ideology white, tall, slim, able-bodied is normality for a male person boyish in terms of his looks; innocent and unthreatening to look at not very masculine his voice; not low and deep, he is friendly in what he says but sometimes quite stutter - Relationship with his mother initially it is portrayed that his mother is the powerful one in the relationship she is domineering and controlling; PCATA close relationship with mother is often used as a sign to signify something unhealthy or abnormal sometimes a non-traditional sexual identity - When Norman offers to share his dinner with Marion he makes her a sandwich and a glass of milk; portrayal of a man-child this in itself is quite a feminine act - Connection to Ed Gein Body mutilation - PCATA through intertextuality the audience would have read of Ed Gein s crimes and would subconsciously make a link to Norman Bates through his weird hobby of taxidermy the wearing of his mother s wig, the preserving of her body, the pretending to be her all help to make this link between Bates and Gein Representation in Psycho - Selection/Portrayal

6 - White Blonde Woman Chosen to represent the innocent victim. Yet portrayed as someone with loose morals? Do we sympathise with her? Treatment by Sam, Tom Cassidy to encourage us to feel sympathy or to portray her tobelookedatness? White Bra-Handbag/Black Bra-Handbag What is Hitchcock telling us? City/Office girl what does that stereotype mean in 1960? Interpreted by different audiences in different ways. - Selection/Portrayal of men Cop, Salesman, Sam, Norman, Tom negative portrayals? Cliche of Highway cop Ordinary fear key concept in psychological horror. Sam Commitment phobic man, with shady money problems. Norman Manchild with mother issues. Tom Wealthy crass Texan oil baron? Extensive use of stereotypes. - Ideology Women need protection, Continues the sex-death idea of horror movies (debate over the origin, Halloween <1978, Carpenter> certainly held up as a significant text and Scream <2000, Craven> explained the concept explicitly to the audience) Mother/Damage, dominant psychological theory Freud, Women want to get married and have babies - Absence of Minority Representation Sign of the times, would a mainstream audience sympathise with black/hispanic/asian victim or hero? - Perceived cultural assumptions of TA: o Bad girls will be punished. o Men hold the power/authority Psycho Institution Ownership This was Alfred Hitchcock's last film for Paramount. By the time principal photography started, Hitchcock had moved his offices to Universal and the film was actually shot on Universal's back lot. Universal owns the film today as well, even though the Paramount Pictures logo is still on the film. Adolph Zukor was one of the leading figures in the founding of Paramount pictures. He strongly believed in the power of stars and was responsible for signing some of the biggest stars of the early talkie era (1930s onwards) such as The Marx Brothers, Merlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper and Mae West. One important reason the movie was made was because Alfred Hitchcock became fed up with the big-budget, star-studded movies he had recently been making (influence of Paramount?) and wanted to experiment with the more efficient, sparser style of television filmmaking. Indeed, he ultimately used a crew consisting mostly of TV veterans and hired actors less well known than those he usually used. This decision to produce the film in this more efficient style (it only cost $800,000 to make) had an influence on the text itself. It was filmed on studio sets and lots rather than costly location shoots.

7 External Controls In America ( ) movies were governed by the Production Code (Motion Picture Production Code) or the Hays Code. This Code specified a list of guidelines of what was acceptable in a movie there were no age rating classifications during this era. The code was divided into two parts. The first was a set of "general principles" which mostly concerned morality. The second was a set of "particular applications" which was an exacting list of items which could not be depicted. Some restrictions, such as the ban on homosexuality or the use of specific curse words, were never directly mentioned but were assumed to be understood without clear demarcation. Miscegenation, better known as the mixing of the races, was forbidden. It also stated that the notion of an "adults-only policy" would be a dubious, ineffective strategy which would be difficult to enforce. However, it did allow that "maturer minds may easily understand and accept without harm subject matter in plots which does younger people positive harm." If children were supervised and the events implied elliptically, the code allowed "the possibility of a cinematically inspired thought crime." The production code sought not only to determine what could be portrayed on screen, but also to promote traditional values. Sexual relations outside of marriage could not be portrayed as attractive and beautiful, presented in a way that might arouse passion, nor be made to seem right and permissible. All criminal action had to be punished, and neither the crime nor the criminal could elicit sympathy from the audience. Authority figures had to be treated with respect, and the clergy could not be portrayed as comic characters or villains. Under some circumstances, politicians, police officers and judges could be villains, as long as it was clear they were the exception to the rule. The entire document was written with Catholic undertones and stated that art must be handled carefully because it could be "morally evil in its effects" and because its "deep moral significance" was unquestionable. [ The Catholic influence on the Code was initially decided to be kept secret. A recurring theme was "That throughout, the audience feels sure that evil is wrong and good is right." The last days of the code By the late 1950s, increasingly explicit films began to appear, such as Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Suddenly Last Summer (1959), and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1961). The MPAA reluctantly granted the seal of approval for these films, but not until certain cuts were made. Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) was released without a certificate of approval due to its themes and became a box office hit and, as a result, further weakened the authority of the Code.

8 In the early 1960s, films began to deal with adult subjects and sexual matters that had not been seen in Hollywood films since the early 1930s. The MPAA reluctantly granted the seal of approval for these films, again not until certain cuts were made. The code was still in force in 1960 when Psycho was released. There were also nongovernmental groups such as the Catholic League of Decency which could mount considerable opposition to films with scenes or themes of which they did not approve. Alfred Hitchcock, aware of these censors that might butcher his hard work, cleverly included shocking elements in the screenplay that would lead the censors away from other risqué elements of the film. For example, there had been an explicitly sexual quip by oil man Cassidy in reaction to Marion s intention of spending the weekend in bed, the original screenplay included clear reference to Norman s having had a sexual relationship with his mother, and also the psychiatrist of the idea of Norman s being a transvestite was a direct sop to the censors for whom such bizarre sexual practices were taboo in public entertainment. So essentially Hitchcock included things in the screenplay that he knew the censors would insist were removed in order to distract them from other things which he knew were close to the bone. One very significant scene in Psycho is the shower scene. Although this scene may have seemed a bit intense and also a small bit risqué, Hitchcock's clever editing was able to get through the censors, where they could not decide if the scene actually contained any nudity. Also because of all of the problems that the censors had given Hitchcock he said he would re-edit the film in a week and give it back. Little did the censors know, Hitchcock actually didn't alter any parts of the film and they approved the movie for the viewing of millions of people. Narrative Todorov s Narrative Theory Equilibrium Marion s Equilibrium Works in an office, she is involved with a man who so far has not married her she tells Sam she doesn t want to keep doing what they are doing; this establishes this is not a one-off, it is the norm, she wants to escape from this situation Disequilibrium - $40,000 (plot device MacGuffin), tempted by the cash literally flashed in front of her face, she takes it, she gets in her car and drives out of town, she is attempting to go to Sam, introduction of the police shows she is in a state of disequilibrium Hitchcock has used the extreme weather to emphasise the danger

9 and disruption to her equilibrium, shots of her squinting, shots from her POV where there is a sheet of rain and blinding light, suggests her path/future is unclear/uncertain, she ends up at isolated setting with clearly quite a creepy man New Equilibrium/Return to Equilibrium Should have been her returning to her work, owning up and returning the money instead she was killed. In terms of Propp s theory Hero restore the equilibrium this should have been Marion s role. Switch of Narrative Viewpoint to Norman Bates following Marion s death very unusual and manipulates our sympathy is Norman established as an anti-hero at this stage of the film. Villain Role Mother what she says about Marion, her high witchy voice Princess Marion becomes this once the narrative switches False Hero Norman shows kindness to Marion to begin with, unmasked in final scenes Levi-Strauss Binary Oppositions Marion is portrayed as being in opposition/contrast to her sister her sister wants to find her and return the money / shown alongside Sam but their relationship is purely platonic City vs Country The city is portrayed as built-up, modern and liberal whereas the country is more religious, conservative and people are less worldly wise and accepting of outsiders Good and Evil portrayal of Marion as innocent to begin with, same with Norman Bates Target Audience Age Range content wouldn t have been suitable for those younger than that, the main character is portrayed to be around late twenties an audience of this age range would find this character relatable It was originally released with an X Certificate, so minors would not have been permitted to see it, (probably those under 21 would have struggled to get into the cinema to see it). Liberal Modern Audience the content is likely to offend conservative or religious viewers in 1960 Hitchcock those familiar with his work or fans of his work would be likely to go see it Horror Fans likely to appeal to a slightly younger audience due to this genre being popular for dates etc Gender M or F Lead female character would appeal to the target audience, the lure of sexual themes and violence would appeal to a male audience

10 Western Audience America/Western Europe Themes and the setting of the film would have been relatable to the audience; young working woman at the centre of the story would have seemed fairly normal whereas to other more conservative cultures this would have been very odd Uses/Gratifications Blumler, Brown and MacQuail Personal Identity the audience would have gained pleasure from weighing up Marion s dilemma would I have taken the money? Did she get what she deserved? Diversion people like to scare/thrill themselves as a form of escapism safe in the knowledge they are in no danger and instead they are fantasising about being in this perilous situation Mode of Address Fairly traditional mode of address with the audience following Marion in a normal voyeuristic style with the cinema screen being a window into her life. In the scene following her purchase of a new car we hear a voice-over of the cop and the car salesman discussing Marion it is ambiguous as to whether this is really happening or imagined. If it is real then this is very untraditional as Marion can t have witnessed this conversation. As well as this it is unusual for the protagonist of the film to change; after the shower scene we follow events as Norman discovers Marion and cleans up after her. These scenes are deliberately slow and dull, in order to make this more shocking that the clean-up of a murder is shown in such a mundane way. Differential Decoding Intended/Preferred Reading Of Marion s Narrative Hitchcock wants us to feel a certain amount of sympathy for Marion. For example in the scene where Marion has stolen the money and is driving in her car the music is very thrilling the music in this scene encourages the audience to feel energised, on the edge-of-their-seat, tense by Hitchcock encourages us to feel these emotions, we are feeling the same emotions Marion feels and we are more likely to have a connection and feel sympathetic towards her. Preferred Reading/Intended Reading The first few scenes of meeting Norman he is mysterious, sympathetic towards the scene where Norman makes supper for Marion they discuss the idea of feeling trapped Norman is trapped by his mother, we sympathise Negotiated Position Marion Audience member with very conservative values might feel a certain amount of sympathy towards Marion but take the reading you play with fire and you get burned.

11 Negotiated Position Norman Audience member with a more chauvinistic attitude may have wanted or expected Norman to make Marion his and may have frowned upon the weakness of his character. Oppositional Position Likely to have no sympathy for Marion because she is morally repugnant to them. Society Society at the time was fairly patriarchal but this was beginning to change. During the 1950s teenagers were now a thing and were a huge driver of what was produced in Hollywood they were keen for cheap thrills e.g. titillation, violence, gore so Horror was a big genre. These teenagers by 1960 had grown up, they were tired of unrealistic horrors, more realistic horror films were called for. Ed Gein had also recently been heavily featured in the news and his shocking crimes were the inspiration for the novel and also this meant the audience were curious, had a desire to learn more about these sorts of crimes. Society, particularly in the US, was still segregated which explains the lack of POC in the film. Also in the sixties society had started to change, traditional conservative values were being challenged, young people were being catered to by the Beatles, The Stones, rock and roll music. Role of Media Achieving particular purposes profit urged people to keep the ending a secret (word of mouth), TV Crew were used (cheaper production costs), B&W (cheaper production costs), no big stars (cheaper production costs), quite a lot of advertising (no-one will allowed in once the film has started). Meeting Needs - Entertainment the thrilling suspenseful atmosphere would keep audiences gripped and the surprise ending would shock them hence Hitchcock insisting it was kept under wraps. Influencing Attitudes and Behaviour Intentionally could have served as a warning to young women to stay morally correct (quite a dated idea but one that persists in media texts today. Influencing Attitudes and Behaviour - Unintentionally Could have inspired copycat crimes.